1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to consolidating network topologies in duplicate Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
2. Background Information
Management stations connected to a network are often configured by a management software package to discover the network topology, for example, the network nodes and node interconnections. From the network topology, the station constructs a network management map, which comprises a collection of various sub-maps. Each sub-map corresponds with a different view of the network and any sub-map can be displayed on a display device. These sub-maps can be arranged in a hierarchy.
For example, a network management map implemented in the known “OPENVIEW”™ management software, commercially available from the Hewlett-Packard Company, U.S.A., has a root sub-map defined at a root level representing the highest logical level sub-map in the hierarchy and shows objects acting as anchor points for different sub-map hierarchies, each hierarchy being a separate management domain, for example, a network, logical grouping of nodes, or some other domain. An Internet sub-map is defined at an Internet level and is generated by exploding an object (i.e., providing more data regarding the object) within the root sub-map. This process of exploding can be iteratively repeated to any desired level of detail.
Hewlett-Packard's “OPENVIEW”™ Network Node Manager (NNM) product, for example, maintains a network topology data of all the network elements that it knows of or discovers. The topology is populated by various techniques, such as discovery of network elements, manual addition of network elements by the end user and by collection of topology information sent by other NNM stations, known as collection stations. Collection stations send their data to another NNM station known as the management station. When a NNM management station receives data concerning a network element with an Internet Protocol (IP) address as a part of topology data from a collection station, it determines if some other collection station also reported the same IP address for a network element. If so, the NNM management station makes one network element a primary element and the other a secondary element. Management station-collection station concepts are discussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,055 (Pulsipher et al.), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In managing computer networks, difficulties can arise when different networks use identical (duplicate) IP addresses. A duplicate IP address can be a repeated IP host/interface address, a repeated hostname, or a repeated network name or address. Duplicate IP addresses can occur when different companies use the same private or unregistered IP addresses. Duplicate IP addresses can also occur as a result of, for example, improperly configured network devices in which network elements in the same collision domain are communicating with the same IP address or two network nodes have the same hostname. Duplicate IP addresses can also occur as a result of stand-by router configurations (where the router and its stand-by use the same IP address).
A problem arises when a network manager deploys collection stations (which are remotely-located collection computers reporting back to one or more central management stations) at different customer sites having duplicate IP addresses, because network management products use IP addresses as a key in their databases. For example, two network elements with the same IP address cannot be stored in a single topology with these products. For example, NNM cannot store elements with the same IP address from different customers as primary elements, even when they are actually unique network elements.
A known technique for consolidating duplicate IP addresses into a single network topology involves displaying networks of different companies in a single console window, but separating them within that window in different customer containers based on the originating collection computer. However, this technique does not provide the network manager with a consolidated network topology of all the customer networks that the network manager is managing, as the topology of each collection computer is displayed individually.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method to consolidate network topology data having duplicate IP addresses occurring across companies.